Where Art Thou, Campbell Brown? Is CNN Keeping You From Us?

I had planned to offer you a thoughtful take on Campbell Brown's jump from NBC News to CNN, spiced with pithy quotes from the newswoman herself, who is expected to appear at a noontime fundraiser today at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

The backers of the fundraiser, the University of South Florida’s Women in Leadership & Philanthropy organization, though that would happen, too. They even made it a stipulation in her contract that the anchor -- who seems to have taken Paula Zahn's spot at CNN after NBC failed to promote her into Katie Couric's shoes on the Today show -- must do interviews with local press.

But that contract was signed back when she was a NBC News employee. Now that she's changed teams, Brown isn't allowed to do in-depth interviews for another month -- which must really upset one of the $150-per-plate luncheon's marquee backers, the Tampa Tribune.

There was confusion over why this is happening. Brown seems to have told USF it's CNN's doing -- trying to keep her under wraps until they roll out her new show later this year. I'm just hoping she'll take a few questions in-between her speech and the expected speechifying of Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and WFLA's Gayle Sierens (right).

Hope USF is getting its money's worth...

UPDATE: Campbell herself told me today its her new employer, CNN, which seems to have promised exclusives to certain news organizations barring her from commenting to anyone else until those stories are published. Which is their right. But also places one of CNN's top journalists in the hypocritical position of giving public speeches but refusing to talk with the press before or afterward.

Don't know why that bugs me so much. But bug me, it does....

Comments

[Eric Deggans]

Yeah, I stopped by the event today and she was very pregnant-looking. seems to me that she won't be on air for more than a couple of months before her maternity leave...

[Jim]

Isn't Campbell pregnant? Kind of a bad time to be starting at CNN when you are pregnant...

I liked her as a weekend anchor at NBC but I can't see her hosting her own show.